i've been using the excellent google earth, trying to locate the high altitude mining area in tibet where a landslide killed a large number of miners last week
this site is in the right area according to some of the vague news descriptions
the wide valley running along the top of the first picture has surprisingly good roads and the river runs down towards lhasa about forty miles to the west
the narrower mining valley branches off to the southern side of it and then runs up to a ridge at the east
the second picture shows the upper valley that runs from the processing plant up to the open air quarries
the mountain sides here aren't solid rock
they are just a mass of dust and rubble as far as i can see and that will be held together by permafrost
... until it melts
so the whole quarrying process is very risky
the lower processing area looks as if a lot of money has been invested here in plant and buildings
almost due south there is an upper area connected with good roads and there are substantial buildings on that mountainside that might be a drift mine entrance
the main valley runs up to the east from the processing area towards two main open quarries and there are a lot of mountain roads that suggest the whole side of the mountain might be excavated in due course
at the eastern end, near the top of the valley, you can see the two areas where the mountain is being quarried
looking down through the clear air, when i zoomed in on the mountain top quarries, i was astonished at the number of lorries and diggers that could be seen
29°41'35.45"N, 91°45'14.79"E
in this picture you see where terraces are being excavated and the spoil is being dumped at one side
at top left and centre of this last picture are two little compounds where vehicles might have been parked overnight whilst their drivers slept
is this where the landslide happened ?
if so, it will have also blocked the only viable route between the open quarries and the processing plant
production would be threatened
might this explain the alacrity to begin the "rescue operation" ?
STOP PRESS : Next day ... i've only just found the mining company's own website with a full description of their plans for the valley ... http://www.chinagoldintl.com/i/pdf/E-PhaseIIJiamaResource12Nov12.pdf ... which was presented to the world six months ago as a feasibility study for investors.
the schemes for shafts and drifts beneath and beyomd the quarries are shown on pages 77 and 78
From my point of view, very interesting and very instructive.
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